Let's define some terms:
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Editing is about tidying the prose, changing the punctuation and fixing grammar and flow. It's about leaving the structure and plot and characterisation pretty much the same. When it identifies problems, they can be fixed.
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Rewriting is the opposite. It makes changes that have knock-on effects that force major changes. Rewriting breaks what came before and after. Sometimes this is necessary.
Trapped in the cycle
This is how my edits have turned into rewrites over the past 10 years:
- I've edited the hell out of N+1 chapters
- I've got to double-check a plot point so I check earlier chapters to find what it is.
- When I get there and find the plot, I notice little faults and I start fixing.
- I lose what the purpose of the exercise was and get lost in rewriting what follows.
- I've edited the hell out of N+1 chapters...
My solution
I'm reworking the story so it's more episodic in nature. This means:
- Plot is self-contained and resolved within 2-5 chapters not dotted through a longer narrative
- It's easier to perfect those 2-5 chapters and get a sense of achievement and closure
- I can move on knowing it's done.